The present invention relates to internal combustion engines.
As is well known, conventional internal combustion engines whether of the four-stroke or two-stroke type suffer from several drawbacks. Because of incomplete combustion taking place with such conventional engines there is an unavoidable discharge of gases which pollute the atmosphere unless special measures are taken to avoid such pollution. Moreover, such conventional engines are of a relatively low efficiency due to characteristics inherent in the operation thereof. Thus, such engines conventionally include pistons which reciprocate along their axes, with the requirement that the motion of the pistons be transmitted through relatively complex inefficient mechanisms to a rotary crankshaft. This straight-line travel of the pistons of conventional engines is inefficient because the piston must first move in one direction, and then come to a stop before moving in the opposite direction, and of course each reciprocating piston must provide continuous rotary movement of the crankshaft with the mechanism which transmits the motion of the piston to the crankshaft being undesirably stressed inasmuch as it is unavoidably subjected to pushing forces in one direction of movement of the piston and pulling forces in the opposite direction of movement of the piston. While attempts have been made to avoid the above problems as by retarding or advancing the firing in the combustion chambers of such conventional engines to increase the operating efficiency thereof and by connecting a flywheel to the rotary crankshaft to smooth out the rotary movement thereof, nevertheless the above problems have not been fully solved.